Victis Honor Est In
by Mousey Heart Cat
Summary: When the Earth falls, another Kingdom falls as well. The last generation must fight this battle and save humanity before it is too late for them all...
1. Chapter 1

The Kingdom of Caring had crumbled.

No more were the glorious days of love, kindness, and saving those who were in need. No, now all the remnants of the family that lived there could only try to survive for themselves.

Now, the once tall and proud founders of the family struggled to keep anything going. Noble Heart Horse tried his hardest to live up to his name. He had to, for it was all he had left in the world that had been forsaken. True Heart Bear barely managed to keep her sanity. She had watched so _many_ of her children die while she could do nothing. She and her fellow founder and mate had been rendered immortal by the Great Wishing Star.

They shouldn't have died. None of them should. Care Bears and their Cousins were special beings, neither animal nor human. But when the humans' world broke, so did they.

And so they were in quite the bind.

Out of the original Care Bear generation, one still remained. But this bear, Tenderheart, didn't have much time left. And so he, like all before him, lies dying of something unknown before the founders.

"I-I'm fine, I swear. I'm gonna pull through, True Heart." Tenderheart coughed. His soft voice had gone gravelly with time and the sheer effort he was exerting to speak. She smiled, knowing that he was only doing this for her. It pained her greatly just to watch, but it was something she had to do. There was no way she wouldn't be with him…her last.

"We're here with you, son." Noble Heart said gently. Though none of them were their true biological children, they still had raised them. They had all grown rather close in these last few years as their numbers dwindled.

"I-I'm sorry," Tenderheart said, sounding ashamed. "I-I didn't want to put you two through this…"

"No," Noble Heart replied, grasping his paw. "It's not your fault. You can't help it, son."

"Neither could the others," Tenderheart sighed. His eyes strained to keep open. The two founders knew he could not have much time left. "B-but I'm sure they're okay now…"

"I'm sure they are." True Heart nodded. Tenderheart smiled before shutting his eyes and going silent. True Heart crumpled into Noble Heart's side, and he stared at out into nothing, crestfallen.

An era had ended.

Outside of the Hall of Hearts, a small figure stood quietly. Honey Heart Rabbit looked around, but saw nothing.

She was of the third generation, one of the only cousins left after whatever had taken the majority of the first two. Sometimes she wished that she had gone as well, but thinking that way was selfish, something a proper care cousin wouldn't be.

It wasn't her fault that no one seemed to understand. Angrily, she glanced down at her tummy symbol, a gear next to a heart. She was proud of it, yes, but it hadn't always been this way...

"Still moping around, I see?" Honey Heart swiftly looked up before sighing exasperatedly. Before her stood Timber Heart Wolf, a gruff cousin who seemed to be very much older than he really was.

"I was just thinking." Honey Heart replied. The wolf rolled his eyes.

"Uh-huh. Why don't you come and help out?" Timber inquired, crossing his arms.

"You know _exactly_ why," She said matter-of-factly. "My parents would much rather me stay up here where it's safe and where I won't do what I'm destined to!"

"Easy there, I didn't ask for another moving monologue." Timber Heart growled.

"Look, Timber, I'd love to come," She said quietly, slumping down into a sitting position against the wall. "But I can't risk it this time. They'll take my tail if I get caught."

"They'll take your tail?" Timber repeated.

"You always did miss figures of speech." Honey Heart smiled faintly. Timber was silent for a moment before he returned the smile, his top canine tooth protruding as it always did when he grinned.

"We'll be back soon, Honey. Take care of yourself, and _please_ try to find something to do." Timber said before walking off. Honey sighed once again, and got to her feet.

"Something to do." She murmured, pacing back and forth.

Perhaps she could help without being noticed. Honey Heart had never gone on a caring mission by herself before, but it was more important now than ever. The others wouldn't have to know that she was gone, no, she didn't have to risk Timber or the others getting in trouble because of her.

"Here's to losing my tail!" Honey laughed as she dashed off on her way.

-•-

Earth was very very dark.

The uneasiness as Honey Heart hopped along was slowly rising as she ventured further into the world.

"Maybe this was a bad idea-oh!" She exclaimed upon seeing a human.

Honey had not seen very many of these in her few trips down to the planet. They were all scattered about, and the other bears and cousins kept her behind them when she had encountered them.

 _This one doesn't seem so scary,_ Honey Heart thought, _He just looks like he needs help._

"Hey!" Honey Heart called, coming closer to him. The figure, who was tall and very thin, turned to face her. His jaw was slack, and his eyes were dull and blurred. It looked as though he had not eaten for days.

"I'm Honey Heart Rabbit," She bowed politely. "I'm a Care Bear Cousin, and I'm here to help!"

"Rabbit." The man said, his voice low and gravelly. Honey Heart looked up at him confusedly.

"Yes, I'm a rabbit alright." Honey nodded, feeling unnerved by the man's twitch.

"Food." He replied, a twisted grin appearing on his face. Honey Heart gasped and reeled backward as the man thrust his hands out to grab her.

"Yikes!" She yelped as she bolted away. Though it was clear that the man could not keep up with her, Honey Heart still ran until she was far out of range. Panting, she slumped down against a tree.

 _He wanted to eat me! I remember things being off about people, but nothing like this…_

Still, she thought, she'd made it out alright. She was capable of protecting herself with her speed and wits. Honey wasn't going to let her parents be right about her, not now. She glanced at her symbol once more before she began her journey back to Care-A-Lot.


	2. Chapter 2

_(A/N: Sorry this bit is short, next chapter has more substance other than a flashback)_

A long time ago, before anything at all unusual had happened, Honey Heart had resembled her name.

Her fur was a pale yellow color, and her symbol had been a heart beside a honey dipper. Nothing at all seemed off until one day, it mysteriously changed.

Well, it had seemed mysterious to Honey Heart's parents.

"This is unheard of!" They had cried, much to Honey's dismay. She was waiting for her chance to explain.

Honey Heart had always been interested in how things were put together and how they worked. Many a time had she done maintenance on the Caring Meter and Cloud Cars, but was always confused on why. Now she understood.

In the old symbol's place was now a gear beside a heart. It filled her with hope, to know she was right in her calling.

"Don't you see? There must have been some mistake with the old symbol!" Honey Heart had exclaimed. Her parents still shook their heads in confusion, repeating that it was impossible, that this couldn't happen.

She must go and talk to the Founders about this, and that is precisely what she had done. Noble Heart Horse had been remarkably less grey in these days before the first generation had gone, and he was eager to help.

"It is unusual," The horse had explained. "But not impossible. This magic of ours is still a mystery at times."

This helped, but all her parents could do was become resigned to it. They became more protective than before and, especially once the oldest bears and cousins started dying off, would refuse to let her on caring missions.

So Honey Heart was rather stuck feeling helpless. She was glad for the presence of friends, but always hated to hold them back. Someday, she hoped, it'd be better for her.

But then all of this had happened.

And that was that.


	3. Chapter 3

Dinner in the Hall of Hearts was sullen, unmoving. Noble Heart said nothing, and True Heart was nowhere to be found.

"Rough day today," Timber Heart whispered to Honey. "Rough, rough day. I'm kind of glad you didn't come along."

"Yeah…" Honey said, thinking regretfully of her earlier excursion. "What happened?"

"We were _supposed_ to be responding to a distress call," Timber Heart coughed. "It was a trap. Luckily we made it out, but it sure was close." Honey Heart shuffled awkwardly. She looked nervous, though she was definitely miffed.

She could engineer her way out of any trap. Maybe if she was there, they wouldn't have had such trouble getting out. _Still,_ Honey Heart thought, _You know what kind of danger was involved._

"Who'd you take with you?" She inquired. Just as he was about to speak, a frantic looking bird dashed in.

"What'd I miss?" He exclaimed, looking around with wide eyes. Timber Heart sighed heavily, gesturing to him.

"Flight Heart Penguin," Timber murmured, a small growl forming. "Always on cue."

Flight Heart panted heavily, and came to sit beside the two. He was an excitable, nervous sort of bird whose dream was to fly. It didn't help, however, that he was a penguin. Still, he would tell everyone he had hope because his tummy symbol had wings.

"What'd I miss?" Flight Heart asked once again. Timber Heart grumbled, and opened his mouth to speak before Honey Heart covered it. She didn't want to deal with one of his 'great' insults right now.

"Keep it down, Flighty," Honey Heart said in a quiet voice. "It's not a good time to be loud. We just lost Tenderheart." Flight Heart gasped loudly before clasping his wings to his mouth. Timber Heart shoved Honey's hand away, and nodded.

"Yeah. We don't need any outbursts from you. Wait till everyone leaves." He coughed, giving Flight Heart a stern glance. The penguin nodded silently, still looking very shocked at the revelation.

The three sat quietly as the bears and cousins dwindled out of the Hall. Soon, only Noble Heart Horse was left. He turned to them as he walked out.

"Please be careful," His voice was ragged. "Caring Missions will be much slower for a while, but be ready for when they do. I'm...proud of you all." With that, he slumped off, probably going to be with True Heart. Flight Heart trembled.

"He sounds so awful…" He murmured.

"Well, I don't know what you expected, bud." Timber Heart replied, crossing his arms.

"I thought maybe-"

" _Ohh_ , you thought he'd be just fine despite-"

"Can it, you two," Honey Heart snapped. "Now are we gonna talk, or are we gonna argue like cubs?" Timber Heart muttered under his breath before he resided, and the both of them relaxed.

"Sorry, Honey Heart. Sometimes I don't think so clearly." Flight Heart replied.

"Ain't that the truth." Timber Heart laughed. Honey Heart scowled.

"Idiot." She said through gritted teeth. Timber Heart looked reproachful.

"Alright, alright. I'm sorry. Let's talk." He said calmly. Honey Heart sighed, but nodded and sat down. The other two looked at her expectantly for a minute before she spoke.

"I think it's up to us to fix this," She explained, taking a deep breath. "It might be from me staying holed up here, but I've noticed that these missions...just aren't working." Honey Heart recalled her last excursion with a shudder. Timber Heart raised an eyebrow.

"Well...yeah, they aren't workin'," He coughed. "But don't have much else."

"Maybe a different approach?" Flight Heart suggested timidly. Timber Heart grumbled something under his breath.

"I'd like to Stare 'em all back into the way they were, those humans," Timber said gruffly. "But that just doesn't work like it used to."

"Well, that's because we used to have more of us," Honey Heart added, remembering the past she'd been told about. "Even then, it only worked for a little while with all of them. There's gotta be _some_ way to save the Earth." The three sighed heavily, trying to think of anything they could do. They were silent for a moment before Flight Heart lept up in discovery, flapping his wings wildly.

"I know who might help us!" He exclaimed, looking down at the other two excitedly. Timber Heart raised an eyebrow, and Honey Heart gestured for him to continue.

"Yes?" She inquired.

"The Great Wishing Star!" He declared proudly. Timber and Honey exchanged looks, and then turned back to Flight Heart.

"I thought that the Founders already tried that, Flighty," Honey Heart said timidly. "I mean, they must have."

"They never talked about it." Timber Heart shrugged. It was true.

The Founders had been more quiet in the passing years, which was understandable. Still, going to the Wishing Star itself seemed like an almost obvious place for them to look for help. Didn't it?

"Maybe this time might be different." Flight Heart murmured, looking defeated. His wings drooped slightly. Honey Heart looked at the both of them, and laughed slightly.

"It's worth a shot, at least," She smiled weakly. "How bad can it be?"

"So we're going to find it?" Flight Heart said, a glimmer of hope in his eyes. Honey Heart nooded, and glanced towards Timber again.

"You in?" She inquired. He smirked.

"Is my name Timber Heart Wolf? Let's go for it."


	4. Chapter 4

It was late at night when the three set out. It looked like night, anyhow. Care-A-Lot had become so shadowed by storm clouds that sometimes it was hard to see if the sun was shining at all.

"Are you going to tell your family we're going?" Flight Heart whispered.

"No, I'm not gonna tell them!" Honey Heart whispered fiercely. "No one needs to know!" Timber Heart chuckled slightly before Flight Heart stamped on his foot to silence him.

As they walked farther into the clouds, an increasing sense of dread could be felt in the air. Timber Heart coughed uncomfortably.

"Are we...going to where they used to round the Starbuddies up to? Big Star Point?" He asked. Honey Heart grimaced, and shook her head.

She didn't know the way there, and frankly, she wasn't sure she wanted to go. Young Starbuddies used to be led to that spot every year to become full stars before they faded away. Of course, they hadn't been able to do that for years now, and the little stars were all but extinct.

"Probably not the best place to go," Flight Heart agreed. "It-it's upsetting…"

"It's pretty far away too," Honey Heart added. "We'll have to find another place that's closer." The other two nodded in agreement, and continued to scour their surroundings for anything that might lead them to the Star.

"Maybe we oughta call it. Will he come if you call?" Flight Heart inquired, staring upwards. Timber scowled.

"He's not a dog, bird-brain," Timber Heart snapped. "Besides, I doubt it'll be that easy! We can't just walk up to a clear spot in the clouds, say we're here for him, and he'll appear." As if on cue, a bright light had begun to form in the space between two clouds.

"It's always you that does these things." Flight Heart muttered, glaring at him. Honey squinted up at the light as it became more and more solid in form.

"Shh, look!" She gasped.

Lo and behold, the Great Wishing Star had appeared before them. After only a second's glance, the three could tell that something was wrong. Something was _terribly_ wrong.

Instead of being the bright, glowing yellow star that Honey Heart had heard stories of, he was now a faded grey, crumbling piece of light. She could hear Flight Heart draw in a breath of fear behind her.

"G-Great Wishing Star?" Honey Heart ventured forward. She swallowed nervously. "We've come to ask for your help." The star's eyes flicked towards her slowly. He was silent for a moment, but then began to speak.

"I'm...afraid," He mumbled weakly. "That I cannot offer the help you seek…" Timber Heart stepped forward now, looking distraught.

"But you haven't even heard what we have to say yet!" He exclaimed in distress. "You've got to listen!" The star turned to him, a pained expression falling over him.

"Go...ahead." He murmured. Honey Heart gulped, but hardened her expression and face him head on.

"We have to save Care-a-Lot, and the Earth too! We hardly have anyone left," She pleaded. "If you can't help us, who can?" The Star closed his wide eyes and breathed heavily.

"There are...more of you that will help…" The Wishing Star murmured tiredly. "You must find the last Bears and Cousins. Only when you have them all will you be able to heal the Earth…and Care-a-Lot as well." The three stood dumbfounded before the Star. Flight Heart's jaw had gone slack, and Honey Heart shook her head in surprise.

"Find...more? Where are they?" She asked, hopping up eagerly. The Wishing Star forced a smile.

"That is up to you," He replied. "If you follow the stars and your hearts, you will find them." The Star began to fade once more, and before long, the blank space in the sky had returned. The three exchanged glances with one another.

"That was about the vaguest set of directions I've ever received." Timber Heart said. Flight Heart perked up, looking at Honey Heart expectantly.

"So...what do we do?" He asked curiously. Honey Heart looked out into the clouds.

"We're going to find our family."


End file.
